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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

FRANKLIN K. LANE. SECRETARY 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 

STEPHEN T. MATHER, DIRECTOR 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS 
WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES 



ADDRESS 



:: By T!'§*ftiLMER 

Expert in Game Conservation, Biological Survey 



DELIVERED AT THE NATIONAL PARKS CONFERENCE 
AT WASHINGTON, D. C. JANUARY 4. 1917 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1917 



D. of D. 






NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

By T. S. Palmer, Expert iu Game Conservation, Biological Survey. 

Much has been written and many photographs have been published 
ilhistrating the wild life in the national parks. The bears, the 
buffalo, and the elk of the Yellowstone are as closely associated with 
this park as are the hot springs or geysers. The mountain sheep is 
almost as closely associated with the Rocky Mountain Park or the 
mountain goat with the Mount Rainier or the Glacier Park as are 
waterfalls with Yosemite or the big trees with the Sequoia Park. 
Of national parks there are now 16 and of national monuments 21 
in charge of the National Park Service of the Department of the 
Interior. In addition, there are 11 national monuments on national 
forests in charge of the Forest Service of the Department of Agri- 
culture, and 2 national monuments imder the jurisdiction of the War 
Department. Of these 50 reservations, the 34 monuments have a 
combined area of about 1,900 square miles, or a little more than one- 
fourth the area of the national parks and a little less than that of the 
State of Delaware. 

Comparatively little has been published on the wild life of the 
national monuments and even the existence of some of the most in- 
teresting reservations is scarcely known to the public. Much less 
has the tourist or casual visitor a clear idea of what constitutes a 
national monument, of the diverse character of monuments, or of the 
distinction between a national monument and a national park. This, 
perhaps, is not surprising when it is recalled that only a few years 
ago a former Cabinet officer to whom w^as submitted a recommenda- 
tion for the establishment of one of the larger national monuments 
inquired, "What kind of a monument do you propose to build?" 
And upon being assured that it was not the intention to build any 
monument, but merelj'^ to preserve some objects of unusual scien- 
tific interest under the national monuments act, remarked, " Well, 

I don't know what you are going to do, but if Mr. says it is 

all right I will approve the recommendation." And within a few 
days the monument became an accomplished fact. 

P'rom time immemorial man has been accustomed to erect monu- 
ments in honor of celebrated men or to commemorate important 
events in history by monuments, and these monuments, many of 
them unfortunately now in ruins, are carefully preserved as ex- 

22310 — 17-— 1 3 



4 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUAEIES. 

amples of his work or mementos of his accomplishments. Similarly 
nature has carved rocks, has hollowed out caverns, and has developted 
remarkable types of plant and animal life adapted for peculiar con- 
ditions. The fact that such objects are properly monuments was 
recognized nearly a hundred years ago by the celebrated traveler 
Alexander von Humboldt who, in describing some of the marvelous 
trees he had found in his travels in the Tropics referred to them as 
" natural monuments." Recently the term " natural monuments " 
has been adopted abroad to denote any natural object of scientific 
interest, whether geological, botanical, or zoological, and the im- 
portance of preserving such monuments is now recognized both in 
Europe and America. 

MOVEMENT FOR PRESEEVATION OF NATURAL MONUMENTS SIMULTANEOUS IN EUROPE 

AND AMERICA. 

It is interesting to note that the policy of preserving under the 
care of the Government objects of historic or scientific interest for 
the benefit of the public was adopted almost simultaneously in Ger- 
many and in the United States. In Prussia the movement took the 
form in 1906 of a provision for the appointment of a special officer 
known as the State commissioner for the care of natural monuments, 
who, under the supervision of the minister of education, was charged 
with the duty of locating, protecting, and making knoAvn the various 
objects of scientific interest worthy of preservation. No funds were 
provided for the purchase of sites of such monuments, but it was the 
duty of the commissioner to locate and mark them, and to interest 
the owners, whether State, municipal, or private, in their preserva- 
tion. These natural monuments are of various kinds and may in- 
clude an historic tree, an unusually fine specimen of some shrub, a 
group of rare plants, a bog containing northern plants or animals, a 
breeding colony of birds, a curiously carved rock or a glacial 
bowlder — in short, almost any object of scientific interest. 

In the United States the movement took a somewhat different form, 
but in the same year resulted in the passage of an act of Congress 
providing for preservation under national auspices not only of 
natural objects of scientific interest, but also of historic landmarks 
and historic structures. This act, approved June 8, 1906, entitled 
"An act for the preservation of American antiquities," and commonly 
known as the national monuments act, authorizes the President of 
the United States to declare by public proclamation as national 
monuments, historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, 
and other " objects of historic or scientific interest situated on lands 
owned or controlled by the Government of the United States." No 
appropriation was made for carrying the law into effect or providing 
for the care of the monuments which might be created in this way. 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUAKIES. 5 

Not until 1910 was any general circular of information regarding 
the monuments available for general distribution, and not until 1916 
was any specific appropriation made for their protection or any pro- 
vision made for a comprehensive plan of administration. 

Looking back over the past 10 years, it is interesting to observe 
that both in Prussia and in the United States the attainment of essen- 
tially the same object has been sought in different ways, but pri- 
marily by a campaign of education. In Prussia attention has been 
concentrated on educating the public as to the importance of pre- 
serving these natural treasures, whether under the care of State 
authorities or private individuals. In the United States attention 
has been concentrated on setting apart the more important natural 
monuments and historic landmarks on public lands as national monu- 
ments and preserving them by proclamations and warning notices. 

THUEK KINDS OF MONUMENTS — HISTOKIC LANDMARKS, HISTORIC MONUMENTS, AND 

NATURAL MONUMENTS. 

The national monument act practically contemplates the establish- 
ment of monuments of three different kinds: 

(1) Landmarks, or places of purely historic interest, include such 
reservations as the Cabrillo Monument in California, which marks 
the point where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first sighted the coast of 
California in 1542 ; and the Big Hole Battlefield in Montana where 
a superior force of Nez Perce Indians was defeated by United States 
States troops on August 9, 1877. These monuments mark spots 
closely connected with the history of the West, but contain no pre- 
historic structures or objects of scientific interest. 

(2) Historic structures, or monmnents proper, comprise such ruins 
as Montezuma Castle, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the ruins in Chaco 
and Walnut Canyons, and the old Spanish Missions of Gran Quivira 
h New Mexico and Tumacacori in Arizona. 

(3) Natural monuments include a variety of objects of scientific 
interest, ranging from the stupendous gorge of the Colorado Eiver 
in Arizona and the glacier covered summits of the Olympic Moun- 
tains in Washington to the wind-swept rocks of the Wheeler Monu- 
ment in Colorado, the natural bridges in Utah, the Lewis and Clark 
Cave in Montana, the fossils of the Dinosaur Monument in Utah, the 
petrified forests in Arizona, the redwood trees of the Muir Woods 
in California, and the giant cactuses in the Papago Saguaro Monu- 
ment in Arizona. In this group are found the monuments which 
are most important as wild life sanctuaries. 

It could scarcely be expected that the historic, the archaeological 
or the paleontological reservations would contain much that is 
remarkable in flora or fauna, but it is interesting to note that 8 or 
nearly 25 per cent of the 34 monuments, including most of the 
larger ones, are of considerable interest in connection with the 



6 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

preservation of wild life. These eight monuments in the order of 
their creation are: (1) El Morro, in New Mexico; (2) the Muir 
Woods, in California; (3) the Grand Canyon, in Arizona; (4) the 
Pinnacles, in California; (5) the Colorado, near Grand Junction, 
Colo.; (6) Mount Olympus, in AVashington; (T) Papago Saguaro, 
in Arizona; and (8) Sieur de Monts, in Maine. Two of them — 
Muir Woods and Papago Saguaro — are primarily botanical; 
three others— the Grand Canyon, Mount Olympus, and the Pinna- 
cles — are essentially geological; while the Sieur de Monts combines 
historical, geological, botanical, and zoological attractions. Two 
are located in Arizona, two in California, and one each in Colorado, 
Maine, New Mexico, and Washington. With the exception of El 
Morro and the Muir Woods, each has an area of more than 1,000 
acres — Mount Olympus, including some 300,000, and the Grand 
Canyon, more than 800,000 acres. Their combined area includes 
more than a million acres — a territory larger than the area of 
Glacier National Park, and more than half the size of the Yellow- 
stone. 

JURISDICTION. 

At this point it is pertinent to consider the nature of the pro- 
tection accorded the birds, game, or other objects of scientific inter- 
est in a monument under the care of the General Government. Tt 
has been said that the principal difference betAveen a national 
monument and a national park is that a monument has merely 
been made safe from private encroachment, while a park has been 
similarly protected but in addition is in process of development so 
as to become a convenient resort for the people. From a legal 
standpoint, theoretically at least, a broader distinction exists in 
the matter of jurisdiction. In some of the national parks in which 
the necessary legislation has been enacted the jurisdiction of the 
Federal Government is complete and exclusive, and all cases 
involving violations of tlie law or regulations are tried in the 
United States courts. In the national monuments, on the con- 
I'ary, State laws are still in force, as there has been no cession 
of State authority and jurisdiction is exercised as it were through 
cooperation between the Nation and the State. Whether a case 
is tried in the i^'ederal or State courts depends on the nature of 
the olfense or the question at issue. The Federal Government, 
as proprietor of a national monument, is in much the same posi- 
tion as a landowner, who has the right to protect his property 
against all forms of trespass, but who does not always exercise it, 
and who relies on the State for general protection. Stated more 
specifically by way of illustration the conditions are somewhat as 
follows: A person charged with killing game, cutting timber, or 
with having committed any ordinary misdemeanor in the Yellow- 
stone National Park would be tried in the Federal court, whereas 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUABIES. 7 

one charged with the commission of any of those offenses on a na- 
tional monument would be tried in the Federal court for cutting 
timber or for carrying firearms in violation of departmental regu- 
lations, but he might be tried in the State courts for killing game 
or committing some other misdemeanor prohibited by State law. 

Under existing conditions the question is rather more complex. In 
7 of the 16 national parks the P'ederal Government now exercises 
jurisdiction in the Yellowstone and Piatt Parks through provisions 
in the acts of Congress admitting the States of Wyoming and Okla- 
homa to the Union; in the Hot Springs Reservation and in the 
Glacier, Mount Eainier, and Crater Lake Parks through the accept- 
ance by Congress of the jurisdiction ceded by the States of Arkansas, 
Montana, Washington, and Oregon; and in the Hawaii Park by 
virtue of the jurisdiction over a Territory exercised by the General 
Government.^ 

In the case of the national monuments protection is afforded by a 
number of Federal laAvs and regulations. Under the monuments act 
(34 Stat., 225) the land is withdrawn from all forms of entry, and 
the injury, destruction, or unauthorized appropriation of any pre- 
historic ruin or object of antiquity is prohibited under heavy pen- 
alties. Under the Criminal Code (35 Stat., 1088), cutting timber is 
punishable b}^ a fine of $500 or imprisonment not more than one 
year, or both (sec. 50) ; setting on fire any timber, underbrush, or 
grass (sec. 52), building fires in or near any timber without totally 
extinguishing them before leaving (sec. 53). or breaking down fences 
inclosing lands reserved for public use, or permitting any stock to 
destroy grass or trees on such lands (sec. 56), are punishable by simi- 
lar or even more severe penalties. 

Under the Lacey Act, now incorporated in the Criminal Code (35 
Stat., 1137), the incentive to kill game for market or for hides is 
removed by the provision prohibiting interstate shipment of birds or 
game killed in violation of State laws. Under the P'ederal migra- 
tory-bird law (37 Stat., 847) and the treaty with Great Britain for 
the protection of migratory birds in the ITnited States and Canada, 
migratory birds are jn-otected throughout the year, and the band- 
tailed pigeon, the largest of the native pigeons, and still common in 
some parts of the West, is protected at all seasons for several years. 
(U. S. Dept. Agri.; Farmers' Bull. 774, pp. 18-20, 1916.) 

Under the Grand Canyon Game Preserve act (34 Stat, 607), spe- 
cial protection is given the game in that part of the Grand Canyon 

1 Recommendations have been made M'ith a view of securing cession of State jurisdic- 
tion over the General Grant, Lassen, Sequoia, and Yosemite Parl<s, in California, and the 
Mesa Verde and Uocky Mountain Parlis. in Colorado. Thus the Casa Grande Ruins, 
Wind Cave, and SuUys Hill Parks are the only ones in which no such action has been 
taken. Special protection of the Sullys Hill I'ark, in the matter of hunting and trap- 
ping, has recently been provided by the State of North Dakota. 



8 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

Monument overlapping the game preserve along the north rim of the 
canyon. Under the National Park Service act (39 Stat., 535), the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to dispose of dead or diseased 
timber, to provide for the destruction of injurious species of animals 
or plants, and to regulate grazing. Regulations for the government 
of the monuments promulgated by the Department of the Interior 
m 1910 prohibit building fires, using firearms, fishing, picldng flowers, 
ferns, or shrubs, polluting the water, or leaving vehicles or horses, 
except at designated places. (Report on Sullys Hill Park, Muir 
Woods, etc.. Department of the Interior, 1915, p. 8.) 

It is possible for a State to supplement the protection provided 
by the Government either directly or indirectly and even to prohibit 
all hunting on a monument as has actually been done in the case 
of the Pinnacles Monument. Some of the States have manifested a 
deep interest in the reservations and a spirit of hearty cooperation 
in their maintenance by enacting laws which have added materially 
to the protection of the wild life. The State law of Washington 
protecting elk, which was recently extended, that passed in Colorado 
in 1913 suspending deer hunting, and that protecting mountain sheep 
in Arizona are effective adjuncts in the preservation of the big game 
on the Mount Olympus, the Colorado, and the Grand Canyon Monu- 
ments. California made the Pinnacles Monument a State game pre- 
serve by act of 1909 (ch. 428) and more recently has defined it as 
game and fish district No. 25 in which all hunting is prohibited (LaAvs 
1915, ch. 379). Oregon has made it unlawful to hunt or trap wild 
animals or birds within the boundaries of any watershed reservation 
set aside for the Government, or on lands in any national bird or 
game reservation or in a national park (Laws 1913, ch. 232, sec. 20), 
and North Dakota has made it unlawful to hunt or trap on the 
national game refuge in Sullys Hill National Park or in any other 
national reserve or game refuge that has been or may hereafter be 
established within the State (Laws 1915, ch. 161, sec. 60). 

SOJ[E OF THE MORE IMPORTANT NATIONAL MONUMENTS. 

Having considered the nature of a monument and the protection 
accorded the wild life which it contains it is in order to mention 
briefly the characteristics of the individual monuments and the 
species which may be preserved on them. First in importance may 
be considered the two largest monuments, the Grand Canyon and 
Mount Olympus, which will ultimately in all probability be made 
national parks. 

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

The Grand Canyon National Monument, established January 11, 
1908, comprises an area of about 800,000 acres and includes within 



liTATIOISrAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 9 

its boundaries the great chasm formed by the river together with a 
narrow strip along the north and south rims of the plateau. The 
wonders of the canyon itself with its marvelous coloring and fan- 
tastic formations so engross the attention of the visitor that little 
thought is usually given to anything else than scenery on this reser- 
vation. Whether maintained as a monument or made a national 
park it has, and will continue to have, certain features which render 
it important as a refuge for some kinds of big game and also for 
birds and other forms of wild life. The inaccessibility of many parts 
of the canyon walls furnish a safe retreat for mountain sheep which 
exist here in greater numbers than is generallj^ realized. In 1912 
Mr. Charles Sheldon, who has devoted much time and study in the 
field to the distribution and range of mountain sheep in the Yukon 
region in AUiska, and in the southwest, visited the canyon for 
the purpose of investigating the ccmdition of the sheep. In his re- 
port to the Boone and Crockett Club he says : 

For the purpose of investigating the slieep two members of the game com- 
mittee made in November last a special trip to the Grand Canyon of the Colo- 
rado in Arizona. They were surprised to find that with the exception of an 
area of 20 miles on the north side of the river directly east of Kaibab Canyon^ 
sheep are fairly abundant in the canyon on both sides of the river, throughout 
the entire length of the Grand Canyon. The most conservative estimate that 
could be allowed places the number of sheep in the Grand Canyon at 1,000. 
There are probably many more. These sheep range in most places well within 
the inner canyon. Most of the territory where they feed is quite inaccessible 
to hunters. 

Even if this estimate is rather high it indicates that there are more 
mountain sheep in the Grand Canyon than in any one of the national 
parks. 

The scarcity of water along the south rim of the canyon makes 
this area unfavorable for the presence of deer in any considerable 
numbers, but on the north rim on the Kaibab Plateau, partly within 
the area of the monument but mainly in the adjoining Grand Canyon 
Game Preserve, mule deer are abundant. The number at present 
is probably several thousand, but even the most conservative esti- 
mate indicates that this is probably the largest number of mule 
deer within the limits of any Government reservation. 

The smaller mammals and the birds also find here a safe refuge 
from all except their natural enemies, as the rugged canyon walls 
naturally discourage and prevent pursuit. Very little is known of 
the possibilities of the canyon as a bird sanctuary. In fact, no com- 
plete list of the birds of this reservation has yet been published, not- 
withstanding the fact that since the completion of the branch 
railroad from Williams to Grand Canyon Station in 1902 hundreds 
of thousands of persons have visited the spot and a number of 
ornithologists have stopped here at different times, but none of them 

22310—17 2 



10 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

has remained long enough to prepare a list which can be considered 
even approximately complete. The canyon offers imusual advan- 
tages for studying the effect of altitude on the distribution of animal 
and plant life and in this respect affords exceptional educational 
advantages. On the trip down the Bright Angel Trail from El 
Tovar to the river the visitor descends from an elevation of 7,000 
to 1,000 feet, passing in rapid succession the various forms of 
life found between the pine-covered plateau of northern Arizona 
and the fauna of the hot deserts in the southern part of the State. 
Although animal life does not seem abundant, opportunity is 
afforded fox glimpses of many interesting forms, including Aberts' 
squirrels, chipmunks, crested and Woodhouse's jays, mountain chick- 
adees, and tiny humming birds, while the wonderful notes of the 
rock and canyon wrens and several characteristic western birds may 
be heard. In few of the parks are the effects of the influence of 
elevation on distribution of wild life more clearly forced upon the 
attention of even the casual observer. In referring to the wonderful 
opportunity^ for studying these problems. Dr. C. Hart Merriam says : 

The complex aucl interacting effects of radiation and refraction, of aridity 
and humidity, of marked difference in temperature at places of equal alti- 
tude on opposite sides of the canyon, of every possible angle of slope exposure, 
and of exposure to and protection from winds and storms, produce a diversity 
of climatic conditions, the effect of which on the animal and vegetable life of 
the canyon has been to bring into close proximity species characteristic of 
widely separated regions and to crowd the several life zones into narrow 
parallel bands along the sides of the canyon — bands which expand and con- 
tract in conforming to the ever-changing surface. * * * in short, the 
Grand Cauj^on of the Colorado is a world in itself, and a great fund of 
knowledge is in store for the philosophic biologist whose privilege it is to study 
exhaustively the problems there presented. (Biol. Survey, U. S. Dept. Agr., 
N. A. Fauna No. 3, p. 37, 1890.) 

MOUNT OlA'MPUS NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

Second in size only to the Grand Canyon is the Mount Olympus 
Monument, which occupies the summits of the Olympic Mountains 
in northwestern Washington. It contains many objects of unusual 
scientific interest, including numerous glaciers and also the summer 
home and breeding grounds of the Olympic elk, a species peculiar 
to this region. As originally established, on March 2, 1909, it con- 
tained approximately 608,640 acres. In 1912 a tract of 160 acres was 
eliminated, and by the proclamation of May 11, 1915, the size of the 
reservation was reduced 50 per cent, so that the area at present is 
299.370 acres. During the last 12 years elk hunting has been sus- 
pended in the State, and this protection in connection with the 
protection of their breeding grounds has resulted in a gratifying 
increase in the number of elk. In 1905, when the close season was 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 11 

first established, it was estimated that the elk in the Olympic region 
numbered 2,000 or less. Late in 1910, nearly two years after the 
creation of the monument, a careful estimate made by the forest 
ranger at Port Angeles, Wash., placed the total number at 3,000 or 
3,500, of which about 2,000 were on the Olympic National Forest, 
within which the monument is located. The largest bands were 
found on the watersheds of the Bogachiel, Elwah, Hoh, Queetz, and 
Soleduck Rivers. The number of deer was estimated at 3,000 or 
4,000. It is impossible to say CA-en approximately how many elk 
are found within the present boundaries of the reservation. The 
total number in the Olympics may perhaps be conservatively esti- 
mated at about 4,000, notwithstanding some losses which have 
recently occurred in severe winters. This is at least double the num- 
ber estimated in the herds at the beginning of the period of protec- 
tion. So long as hunting is suspended the monument practically 
forms a national game preserve. 

EL MOEKO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

The El Morro National Monument, better known by its local name 
of " Inscription Rock," is a small reservation of 160 acres 35 miles 
due east of the Zuiii Pueblos, New Mexico. It was established by 
proclamation of December 8, 1906, for the purpose of pressrving 
the sandstone cliffs some 200 feet in height, bearing inscriptions made 
by early Spanish explorers in the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- 
turies. The monument is too small to serve as a very important 
wild-life refuge, but it is associated with the discovery of one of the 
most characteristic birds of the Southwest, and as an actual record 
of the history of exploration of New Mexico it is probably unique. 
To the historian Inscription Rock is interesting chiefly on account 
of its association with the name of Juan de Onate, founder of 
Santa Fe, who, on his return from an expedition to the head of the 
Gulf of California, visited this point in 1606. To the ornithologist 
the rock recalls the visits of two eminent ornithologists. Dr. S. W. 
Woodhouse and Dr. Elliott Coues, and the discovery of the whits- 
throated swift which occupies the rock as one of its breeding places. 
In 1851 the Government expedition from the Zuhi to the Colorado 
Rivers in command of Capt. Lorenzo Sitgreaves was encamped at 
this point and Dr. Woodhouse, naturalist and surgeon of the ex- 
pedition, saw for the first time a new species of swift, which he 
named Acanthylis saxatilis. In his report he says: 

This beaulifiil swift I saw whilst encamped at Inscription Rock, N. IMex. 
Being on the top of this high roclc at the time without my gun I was unable to 
procure specimens. I had a fair view of the birds at this time, as they flew 
<:lose to me. I descended immediately and procured my gun ; but the birds this 



12 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD- LIFE SANCTII ABIES. 

time flew too high for me to be able to procure a shot at them. They were 
breeding in the rocks. (Sitgreaves, Report Expedition down Zuni and Colo- 
rado Rivers, p. 64, 1853.) 

A few years after Woodhouse's visit Dr. Coiies camped at Inscrip- 
tion Rock and records an experience with the swifts very much like- 
that of Dr. Woodhouse. He says: 

While encamped at Inscription Rocli (the original locality of saxatilis) I saw 
gi-eat numbers of these swifts ; but as I had been obliged to leave m\ gun 
behind, to accomplish the difficult and rather dangerous ascent of the cliffs, I 
Jailed to secure specimens, though the birds occasionally flew almost in mv face, 
so that I could positively identify them. * * *. From Inscription Rock,, 
which lies a^ day's march west of Whipples Pass, between this and Zuni, to the 
San Francisco Mountains, I saw the swifts almost daily — always when we 
passed the peculiar cliffs they frequent. * * *. They generally fly very 
high — far out of gunshot-range, and with extraordinary rapidity. I shall never 
forget my disappointment when, on this account, I failed to secure specimens 
under the most advantageous circumstances I could reasonably expect. (Bii-ds 
of the Northwest, p. 266.) 

In the absence of actual specimens, Dr. Woodhouse described the 
new swift as best he could as having tlie head and rump white ; the 
back, tail, wings, and sides black ; and as being white beneath. Three 
years later, in 1854, a specimen of the white-throated swift was col- 
lected near San Francisco Mountain, Ariz., and examined by Prof. 
Baird, who described it under the specific name melanoleucus. For 
many years the bird was known by the original name given by 
Woodhouse; but in recent years, chiefly because the white-throated 
swift has no white rump and no white-rumped swift has yet been, 
found within the borders of the United States, this name has beea 
replaced by that proposed by Baird, based on a more accurate de- 
scription and an actual specimen. The white-throated swift is now 
known as Aeronautes melanoleucus^ but Inscription Rock still marks 
the spot where the species was first seen by an ornithologist and re- 
calls the peculiar circumstances under which the bird was introduced 
to the scientific world. 

MTJIB WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

Seven miles north of San Francisco, nestled near the foot of Mount 
Tamalpais, is a tract of 295 acres known as the Muir Woods. This 
area, formerly in private hands, was deeded to the United States De- 
cember 31, 1907, by William and Elizabeth Thatcher Kent for the 
purpose of preserving a grove of magnificent redwoods growing in 
the canyon within its boundaries. The reservation is interesting not 
only as a monument to the species for which it was established, but 
also to the public spirit of the donors and the memory of the emi- 
nent Californian, John Muir, whose name it now bears. 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 13 

Easily accessible from San Francisco, in an hour's trip by ferry, 
trolley, and steam railway, Miiir Woods is visited by thousands of 
people every year. Many who are unable, through lack of time or 
means, to visit the giant sequoias on the slopes of the Sierras in the 
General Grant, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks may here 
become acquainted with its nearly related species, the redwood. 
Travelers from distant regions often find Muir Woods the most 
accessible point at which to observe the tree amid it natural sur- 
roundings. Great as may be the interest in the California red- 
wood, this species is only one of a number of dominant types 
characteristic of an important natural-life zone in the humid coast 
area of California. Growing among the redwoods may be found 
a number of equally characteristic trees, shrubs, plants, and ferns, 
more or less strictly limited in their distribution to the so-called 
redwood belt. Here also may be found certain forms of birds, 
such as the crested coast jay {Cyanocitta stelleH carhonacea), the 
chestnut-backed chickadee {Penthestes rufescens neglectus) ^ and nu- 
merous other forms of animal life peculiar to the coast region farther 
north. Here may be studied the complex relationships between the 
hora and fauna of the redwood belt and the more open regions in the 
central parts of the State. The value of Muir Woods as a wild life 
refuge lies not only in the preservation of the redwood trees, but in 
the preservation of all those species of plants, birds, and other 
f.nimals which find their native habitat in the peculiar conditions 
under which the redwood thrives. In order to develop the reserva- 
tion along these lines complete lists of the plants, animals, and birds 
should be published in a form accessible to the general public. 
Through cooperation of the California Academy of Sciences, the 
Cooper Club, and other organizations, local botanists, ornithologists, 
and zoologists should be encouraged to visit the reservation fre- 
quently and study it closely for the purpose of noting any changes 
in the native fauna or flora or the occurrence of rare species. When 
the more salient facts have been made as accessible as have been the 
characteristics of the geysers of the Yellowstone or the waterfalls of 
the Yosemite, visitors who annually go through the reservation w^ill 
be stimulated to check up the observations and perchance add to the 
records of the occurrence of rare species. 

PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

The l*innacles National Monument, so named on account of the 
spire-like formations wdiich rise from 600 to 1.000 feet above the 
floor of the canyon, includes about 2,000 acres of land in San Benito 
and Monterey Counties, Cal. Aside from its geological and scenic 
interest, it is important as one of the last strongholds and breeding 



14 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

places of the California condor, the largest and one of the most 
characteristic birds of the State. This bird is protected at all times 
by a provision relating to nongame birds in the State game law. Not 
far from this monument is the type locality (or place from which 
the first specimen was obtained) of the peculiar form of blacktailed 
deer described as Odocoileus colmnhia iius scaphiotus by Dr. C Hart 
Merriam in 1898. The monument was created on January 16, 1908, 
and a year later it was made a game preserve b}^ act of the State leg- 
islature (Laws 1909, ch. 428). Recently it has been made a separate 
game district by the game law of 1915 (ch. 379, sec. 26) which pro- 
vides that " Game district 25 shall consist of and include those cer- 
tain lands within the counties of San Benito and Monterey embraced 
within the Pinnacles National Monument," etc. Thus not only is 
this interesting area reserved from entrj' and occupation, but the 
bird and animal life of all kinds is now protected by special pro- 
visions in the State game law. 

COLOKADO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

In western Colorado near Grand Junction is a little known monu- 
ment which has been in existence since May 24, 1911, containing a 
canyon which is described as " more beautiful and picturesque than 
the region of the Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs." This 
is one of the larger monuments, comprising 13,883 acres, and is 
supplied with a number of fine springs. During the cold Aveather 
hundreds of mule deer come down into the park to spend the winter. 
The Colorado monument is capable of being developed into an im- 
portant game refuge not only for the mule deer but also for antelope, 
elk, buffalo, and other species characteristic of western Colorado and 
the Great Basin. It is better adapted for the purpose than either 
the Eockv Mountain or the Mesa Verde National Park, and can 
probably be made one of the most attractive wild-life centers in the 
whole Rocky Mountain region. Under present State laws the hunt- 
ing of buffalo, elk, antelope, and deer is prohibited at all seasons, 
and with proper provision for fencing and the introduction of small 
nucleus herds the area could readily be stocked with big game. 

PAPAGO SAl.UARO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

Nine miles east of Phoenix, Ariz., and not far from Tempe is 
located the Papago Saguaro National Monument, including about 
2,050 acres of desert land in Maricopa County. This reservation 
was established by proclamation on January 31, 1914, and has been 
in existence only about three years. A ridge of low hills rising from 
the desert to a height of 150 or 200 feet extends through the center 
of the tract, and among the rocks are prehistoric pictographs which 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 15 

add to the ethnological interest of the monument. On account of its 
easy accessibilit}' by automobile or team on the highway between 
Phoenix and Tempe, the monument is utilized largely as a picnic 
ground and is visited by several thousand people each year. It was 
created primarily for the preservation of the giant cactus (Saguaro) 
and other species of cactuses/ yuccas, candle bushes, and the peculiar 
desert flora characteristic of this region. The giant cactus is a 
favorite nesting place of the elf owl {MicropaUas lohitneyi) and the 
gilded flicker {Colaptes chrysoides 7nearnsi), while the clumps of 
other cactuses are the favorite breeding places of the cactus wren 
{Fleleodytcs hrunneicapillus couesl). Other birds peculiar to this 
region are the curious curve-billed thrashers — Bendire's thrasher 
{Toxostoiiia hend'Vei) and the crissal thrasher (7'. crissale), and 
the Arizona woodpecker {Dryohates arizonce). Thus the preserva- 
tion of the flora naturally attracts and preserves an aggregation of 
desert birds which And among the shrubs and plants suitable nest- 
ing places and an abundance of food. 

Immediately west of Tucson the Carnegie Institution established, 
in 1903, the desert laboratory of its department of botanical research 
for the investigation of problems connected with the study of desert 
plant life. At Phoenix the Government has now established a reser- 
vation for the protection on a larger scale of some of the desert species 
which are the subject of study at Tucson. Three years after the 
establishment of the desert laboratory the grounds were inclosed by 
a wire fence, and within a few months after the completion of this 
fence a marked difference was reported between the vegetation 
within and without the inclosure, and also a marked increase in the 
number of the smaller animals. This fact is significant in showing 
the importance of preventing grazing animals from having free 
access to the monument. Apparently no complete list of the plants 
has yet been made, but lists both of the plants and birds should be 
prepared for the purpose of noting changes in the flora and fauna 
and for interesting the general public in the true purpose of the 
reservation. While the giant cactus and the yuccas may be the most 
conspicuous species, they are not necessarily the most interesting, 
and the full value of the reservation can only be developed by fur- 
nishing information to the general public in concise and popular 
form as to the effect which these dominant types have on other 
forms of life and in the whole group of species which characterizes 
the plant and animal life of the desert. 

SIEUR UE MONTS NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

Mount Desert Island, a unique and striking landmark on the Maine 
coast, was the first land along the coast to be described and named by 

1 Probably at least one-half of all the species native to Arizona grow within the limits 
of the reservation. 



16 NATIOISTAL MONUMENTS AS WILI>-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

the French explorer Champlain. Recently 5,000 acres adjacent to 
Bar Harbor, including the most rugged parts of the island, have, 
through the generosity and public spirit of the Hancock County 
trustees, been dedicated forever to free public use and the purposes of 
wild-life conservation. The historical associations of the locality are 
preserved in the name of Sieur de Monts, under whose orders Cham- 
plain sailed when he discovered the island in 1604. The geological 
objects of interest are preserved in the bold granite cliffs which form 
the only mountainous tract thrust prominent!}' out into the sea along 
this part of the coast. The botanical importance of the region is 
shown by the fact that hills and mountains support on their slopes 
and in their vallej'^s a diversity of plant life which is said to be 
greater than can be found in any area of equal size in New England 
or in the Eastern States. Mount Desert lies in the highway of bird 
migration along the Maine coast, and here converge the lines of mi- 
grants from the north and east on their way south. Birds from four 
distinct life zones visit the island at seme time during the year. 
Denizens of the Arctic and of the Hudsonian zone in Ungava and 
southern Labrador visit it in winter; species of the Canadian life 
zone, which breed in southern Canada and northern Ncav England, 
nest here in summer; and in addition some species from the more 
southern Transition or Alleghenian fauna straggle in from the 
west and south. Such are some of the historic and scientific objects 
of interest preserved in this new monument created by proclamation 
on July 8, 191G. Here are preserved under most favorable circum- 
stances a unique collection of native animals, birds, and plants, w^hich 
can be enjoyed and studied amid their natural surroundings. 

The plans of the founders of the reservation contemplate not 
merely the protection of the wild life of the area, but also its develop- 
ment under natural conditions, so that some forms now rare may be- 
come more abundant and the reservation thus be made more attrac- 
tive. Here it may be possible to develop a bird sanctuary and feed- 
ing stations for birds on the lines of those which have proved so suc- 
cessful in Europe. By cultivating native shrubs and plants Avhich 
furnish food for birds and thus making the sanctuary more attrac- 
tive to certain birds which are now rare or which linger only a short 
limo during migration it may be possible to induce them to tarry 
longer and perchance breed within the boundaries of the monument. 
In accessibility, opportunity for experimental work, and as a field 
for botanical or zoological study Sieur de Monts is unexcelled by any 
of the other monuments. 

From the foregoing it may be seen that the much misunderstood 
term " monument " has a distinctive place and is in reality descriptive 
of certain kinds of reservations. One has only to consider the Muir 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 17 

AVoods and Sieiir de Monts monuments as sanctuaries established 
on the Pacific and Athintic coasts for the preservation of redwoods 
and the northern coniferous trees, respectively, to realize that in re- 
ality these two reservations are at least monuments of the public 
spirit of private citizens who have dedicated these wonderful tracts 
of wild land to the GoAerument for the benefit of all the people. 

It is apparent also that there are ample means of protecting the 
natural monuments which have been nationalized hj proclamation 
and placed under the care of the Government, and that on some of the 
reservations are some highly interesting species which deserve the 
protection which can only be afforded by a wald-life sanctuary. Some 
kinds of big game occur in even larger numbers than in some of the 
national parks. Thus in the case of elk, the Mount Olympus National 
Monument during the breeding season harbors most of the Olympic 
elk in existence. Nowhere else, not even in the Mount Kainier Park 
in the same State, is any considerable herd of these elk to be found. 
The number at the present time, probably about 4,000, is larger than 
that of any herd f elk outside of the Yellowstone Park region. 

In the case of mountain sheep, the records show about 220 sheep 
in the Yellowstone Park, about 400 in the Rocky Mountain Park, and 
a few hundred in the Glacier Park, while about 1,000 have been 
reported in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Thus the Grand 
Canyon Monument at present not only has more sheep than any one 
of the national parks, but possibly as many as there are in all of the 
national parks combined. 

No species of big game except the antelope is in greater need of 
protection than the mule deer. Although several of the parks and 
reservations, including the Yellowstone, the Rocky Mountain, the 
(jlacier, the Wind Cave, and Sullys Hill National Parks, and the 
National Bison Range, the Wichita game preserve, and the Niobrara 
Reservation are well adapted for this species, yet not one of these 
refuges has a large number of mule deer at the present time. The 
number in the Yellowstone Park in 1914 was estimated to be about 
1,100; there are a few hundred in the Rocky Mountain Park, some 
in the Glacier Park, and practically none in the other reservations. 
In the Grand Canyon game preserve, Avhich overlaps the Grand 
Canj^on National Monument, there are said to be several thousand 
and many mule deer come down in the winter to the Colorado Na- 
tional Monument. While the exact number of these deer in the 
monuments is unknown, it is perhaps not too much to say that the 
Grand Canyon game preserve, the Grand Canyon Monument, and the 
Colorado Monument are better stocked than any other reservations 
with this interesting species of deer which is so characteristic of the 
West. 



18 NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUARIES. 

In the administration of the national parks, much attention has 
been devoted to rendering the parks accessible and much emphasis 
is laid on the number of visitors. In comparison with the expendi- 
ture on some of the parks, the amount expended in improving the 
accessibility of the national monuments iias thus far been insignifi- 
cant, but, notwithstanding this fact, four of the monuments above 
mentioned — the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, Papago Saguaro, and 
Sieur de Monts — are readily accessible and are visited annually by 
thousands of sight-seers. 

The first three of these reservations are open throughout the year 
and Muir .Woods, Papago Saguaro, and Sieur de Monts are within 
easy reach of near-by cities. It does not require a million acres, a 
million dollars, or a group of attractions like those in the Yosemite 
and the Yellowstone to attract a large number of visitors. Muir 
Woods, with its 300 acres and a grove of redwoods, has as many 
visitors, in some years, as any of the larger parks, not even except- 
ing the Yellovrstone, with its 3,000,000 acres, its famous canyon. 
its falls, and its many geysers and hot springs. The number of vis- 
itors at the Grand Canyon in 1915 was estimated at 100,000, or three 
times as many as have ever visited the Yosemite or Mount Rainier 
and twice as many as have ever visited the Yellowstone in a single 
season. Even the Papago Saguaro has more visitors than such parks 
as the Casa Grande Ruins, Sullys Hill, or the Mesa Verde. People 
will find objects of interest and means of enjoyment in any of the 
reservations which are within easy reach, and since some of the 
monuments may be made more accessible than some of the parks, 
and at less expense, it seems important to develop at once the re- 
sources of these reservations for the benefit of the public. 

PUBMCITY. 

More attention should be given to publicity both within and with- 
out the reservations — Avithin, by making the points attractive, by 
marking the less prominent objects of interest, not merely with names 
and signs but with descriptive labels somewhat after the type of 
museum labels; without, by bringing the monument home to the 
individual who can not be brought to the monument. In addition to 
the usual methods of publicity employed in popularizing the national 
parks, such as illustrated publications, magazine articles, news notes, 
photographs, moving pictures, railroad advertising, etc., certain 
other methods are necessary to disseminate and popularize the infor- 
mation regarding some of the smaller and more remote reservations. 
In comparison with the geological work which has been done in 
some of the parks and the ethnological work which has been under- 
taken on some of the i-uins in the Southwest, the amount of natural 



NATIONAL MONUMENTS AS WILD- LIFE SANGTUAfilES. 19 

history work actually done in the parks and monuments is pitifully 
meager. Such work whether done by the various bureaus of the 
Government or by private enterprise should be encouraged in every 
possible way. We can hardly know too much about the natural re- 
sources of these various recreation grounds. There should be many 
more publications like those on the flora of Mount Rainier, the fishes 
of the Yellowstone, the forests of Crater Lake, of the Yosemite, and 
of the Sequoia Parks. Lists of the birds and mammals, such as are now 
j/ublished in the circulars of information of the Yellowstone and Yo- 
semite, but with brief notes, should be prepared for each of the monu- 
ments which form important wild-life sanctuaries. Efforts should 
be made not merely to add to the volume of current and ephemeral 
literature, chiefly useful in attracting visitors, but to encourage the 
preparation of more permanent publications in the form of local lists. 
special papers, and monographs which may find a place in the pro- 
ceedings of scientific societies and later utilized in the preparation of 
textbooks and standard works of reference. 

Public museums, especially those which are now devoting atten- 
tion to the installation of so-called habitat groups or the exhibition of 
animals, birds, and plants in groups amid natural surroundings, 
should be encouraged to obtain material and install groups repre- 
senting the w^ild life of these reservations. Such groups illustrating 
The Muir Woods, the Sieur de Monts, the Grand Canyon of the 
Colorado, the Pinnacles, and the Papago Saguaro instajled in the 
museums of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and New 
York would be viewed by thousands of visitors and prove of high 
educational value. Local students interested in particular problems 
in distribution of wild life should be encouraged to make the monu- 
ments and the parks the field of their investigations. Notes on the 
wild life should be furnished regularly to such organizations as the 
American Game Protective and Propagation Association, the Na- 
tional Association of Audubon Societies, the Mazamas, the Sierra 
Club, and local associations which are interested primarily in prob 
lems of conservr.tion and education so that their members may assist 
in the work of disseminating information and popularizing the 
reservations. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

The proper administration of some of the smaller national monu- 
ments differs greatly from that of the larger reservations or of the 
national parks. A national monument may be allowed to lie dor- 
mant for years, practically unknown and undeveloped ; it may be left 
without a custodian only to be injured or destroyed by vandals so 
that eventually it accomplishes nothing more than if it had never 
been established ; or it may be cared for and developed so as to pro- 



20 NATIONAL MONUMENTS'AS WILD-LIFE SANCTUAillES. 

duce a rich return to the people for whose benefit it was created. 
Such a monument as the Devils Tower, which can not be carried 
away or seriously defaced except by painting signs and advertise- 
ments on the rocks at its base, may require little beside publicity and 
warning notices to make it properly known and provide for its pro- 
tection. Monuments like the Montezuma Castle or the Navajo, which 
contain cliff dwellings, require not only publicity to make their won- 
ders known, but also custodians to protect their ruins from injury. 
But a monument established for the preservation of wild life re- 
quires more than either of the types of reservations just mentioned. 
It needs publicity of a peculiar kind to set forth clearly and in siui- 
ple language the facts (often obscure to the casual visitor) regard- 
ing the nature and life history of its treasures. It requires the serv- 
ices of a resident official, who should be something more than a mere 
custodian, who should be intelligent, and in sympathy with the 
objects of the reservation in order that he may act as guardian, 
guide, and instructor to the public and impart authentic information 
while answering the numerous questions regarding the objects under 
his charge. It also requires constant observation and careful study 
by specialists. A reservation like the Muir Woods is undergoing 
constant changes, many of which are apparently only upon close ex- 
amination. Species now abundant may become scarce, others now 
rare may increase in abundance, and still others now absent may ap- 
pear. The dates of arrival and departure of the birds, the times of 
their meeting, the dates of flowering and fruiting of the plants all 
vary from season to season. These and other similar facts should be 
observed, recorded, and made public. Much of this work can not be 
performed hj a regular custodian and can be done, if at all, only 
through the cooperation of special students or observers. A national 
monument maintained as a sanctuary for wild life should become 
practically a natural outdoor laboratory or observatory. It is in 
reality a property of all the people which can only be administered 
successfully for the people, when utilized fully and studied care- 
fully by the people themselves. 

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